Signals (O )
by tangelatestdrive
Summary: Travis hears the sounds of the Earth. (Will I write a fanfic about a level-up song for a game that hasn't even come out yet? Yes, yes I will. This was written for an art contest on the official Not Mother 4 (O ) discord. In future when the game is out and the characters actually have personalities, this fic can be swept under the rug. So bear with me. I had fun nonetheless.)


O̥

Travis knew he was dreaming again.

This wasn't a rare occurrence for him, as it came with the package of being a Receiver. However, it took him a long time to deduce whether the dream belonged to him, or the wandering thought of another person. He eventually concluded that when he became lucid in his dreams, they must not be his own. Since then, he had found no evidence affirming otherwise.

Travis was skimming the surface of a vast body of water. He stretched out his arms and let the breeze whip against his face. He could see no landmarks in any direction, and he realized that the roar of the rushing wind was absent as well. It was deathly quiet and dreadfully empty. He found it quite peaceful.

It wasn't long before Travis noticed his descent towards the sea. He felt his feet graze over the water, but there was no accompanying splash. As he flew lower and lower towards the dark water, he began hearing what sounded like a distant roar. Curious, he took a deep breath and ducked his head under.

Immediately, he was met with a barrage of horrible noise. He recoiled at the sudden cacophony and he pressed his hands to his ears to no avail, as the dissonance reverberated around his own skull. He tried willing himself toward the surface, but his descent seemed to gain speed. As the noise became clearer, he realized in horror that it was voices. Thousands upon thousands of thoughts swimming in this ocean and hurling themselves into Travis's mind. This had to be some sort of cruel joke, some trick played on him for his telepathic ability. He gasped in pain, trying to push down his telepathy before realizing that he could breath in this strange dark landscape. He glanced upwards, watching the light of the endlessly clear sky grow dimmer.

"_Why can't I wake up?"_ he thought desperately.

As though in response, the bombardment of voices stopped. He thought for a moment that it had gone silent, but he realized he could hear low whispers, as though a murmur had spread through a crowd after someone in the audience yelled slander at the speaker on the podium. He suddenly felt very unwelcome.

As the noise had died down, he realized he could hear something else. He peered into the darkness below him and listened intently, before he could make out a small pulsing tone. The din around him seemed to fade away as this pitch reached out to him.

"_It's looking for me,_" he thought. But this thought echoed around him, as though he said it aloud. He felt fear tighten his chest.

Below him, a bright flash of green light rushed up towards him, glowing brighter and brighter, coming closer and closer. He shut his eyes tightly, bracing himself, and —

The curtains screeched loudly and a ray of light hit Travis directly in the face.

"Morning, sleepyhead. Did you have a nice rest?" A cheery voice echoed around the room.

He scrunched up his eyes and curled away from the ungodly light.

"Five more minutes," Travis muttered.

He heard the voice laugh airily, "Nice try. It's almost noon. You missed breakfast, and we've been up for hours."

Travis opened his eyes and tried to focus on the source of the voice. He saw Meryl picking up various traveling necessities and stuffing them into a small bag. He always found Meryl's cheery disposition uplifting, but while half-asleep he felt like he was staring directly at the sun.

Meryl hoisted the bag over her shoulder and gave Travis a disapproving look, "You should feel lucky. I told Leo that you were already awake and packing. You know he's not very patient."

Travis groggily sat up and slung his feet onto the floor. It was Meryl's idea to spend the night at a hotel in Union City after Leo frequently brought up how dangerous cities could be in the nighttime. Floyd argued that every place could be dangerous at night, but he didn't object as they headed toward a nearby hotel and forked over a hefty sum.

Travis found the city to be much more crowded than he imagined. He started to miss the quiet nights in Belring. Union City seemed to always be awake, and he couldn't help feeling exhausted from the constant activity.

He was grateful that he was prepared, however. It didn't take Travis long to realize that being a Receiver meant being able to hear everything.

He could clearly recall the first few minutes when he acquired his newfound power. It was like someone flipped a switch in his brain; it has always been there, but it had collected a fine line of dust from the lack of use. But it was always ready for someone to walk by and blow away the cobwebs.

At least, that's what he wished it was like. In reality, awakening his VOX abilities was an endurance test he was not eager to take again.

Travis's telepathy was no longer involuntary, after all of the measures he put into place.

Meryl sighed with disdain as she picked up Travis's backpack and flung it onto his bed. "Alright, take your time if you have to. If I'm being honest, you look like you haven't slept a wink."

Travis rubbed his eyes, "I guess I'm still not used to the noise. I think a lot of it made it into my dreams—"

"Your dreams? What kind of dreams? Did you see something important? Did you hear anything?"

Travis shook his head as he pulled out a toothbrush and walked into the bathroom, "Not those kinds of dreams. I don't have precognition like you do."

Meryl pouted a little, "Yeah, but you never know! There's something important about it, I can feel it!"

Travis shrugged, "If you say so. What if it's just a normal dream?"

Meryl frowned at him. Travis was fully aware that Meryl placed an enormous amount of confidence in her psychic abilities, and therefore did not like people questioning her precognition. In a way Travis envied her certainty, considering she had her ESP for much longer. But he had the feeling that reliance on power alone would be asking for trouble.

Meryl crossed her arms, "Just tell me the dream already."

Travis brushed his teeth thoughtfully, "I dunno. I was flying at some point, and then I went underwater, and then I saw a bright flash of light, and then I woke up."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "And that's it?"

"Yes, that's all there was to it."

"You're pretty bad at lying, you know that?"

"Am not!"

"Haha! So you admit you _were _lying!"

Travis wheeled around looking red in the face. "Fine! Okay. I heard a bunch of loud voices, and there was a weird sound. Happy?"

Meryl leaned against the doorframe, her triumphant smile suddenly gone. "What kind of sound?" she asked.

Travis was beginning to feel more and more irritated by this unwarranted interrogation and began to slowly but forcefully close the bathroom door on her. She put up a fight and refused to budge. Travis began to fume, "It was just some beeping! I don't know! It was like a pulse, or—"

"Like a signal?" Meryl blurted out before he could shut the door in her face.

Travis blinked and opened the door again. "How did you know that?" he asked warily.

Meryl rubbed the spot where the door closed on her arm, "I just know things sometimes. Comes with the package of being a precognitive Transmitter." She looked at Travis closely, "There's always something I hear when I have those visions. Like a faraway song. At first I never noticed it, but once I did hear it I knew it had been there all along."

Travis knew he looked a little silly with his mouth agape and full of foamy toothpaste. He wiped his face. "But… what is it?" he asked.

Meryl's smile returned to her face, and Travis could see the gears turning in her head as she purposefully walked toward a little arm chair in the corner of the hotel room and pulled it toward the bed. She patted the blankets, motioning for him to come and sit.

"I want you to try something," she said excitedly.

Travis instead settled on staring at her dumbly, trying to figure what reckless idea she had formulated in the time it took her to cross the room.

She continued, "You probably won't like it, but I think it's important for you to learn about this. As a Receiver, I mean."  
"You're not doing a great job selling this right now," said Travis as he walked toward the bed and sat in front of Meryl.

She crossed her arms and sat back in the chair, "That's because I'm going to need you to pull down your mental defenses."

Travis stared at her.

"Uh?"

"I did say you wouldn't like it," said Meryl.

"Why would I— didn't you hear me when I said this city was loud? And not _that_ kind of loud! My first night in Belring was horrible, and what you're asking me to do is…" Travis trailed off. The problem was that Travis didn't know what would happen if he let down his mental defenses in the city at daylight. He was certain it couldn't be good.

Meryl gave Travis a long look and finally nodded, "You're right. It would be awful if you hurt yourself like that. How about this—" she sat up a little straighter and put her hands in her lap. "Try focusing on me instead."

Travis scratched his head, "I don't understand. What are you trying to do? What am I looking for?"

Meryl looked thoughtful, and Travis could glean the thought of choosing her words carefully.

She spoke deliberately, "Every living thing produces some signal of life. It's like a heartbeat, but… quieter. It's even quieter than thoughts," She shook her head and sighed. "It's hard to explain. All you need to know is that it will hard to pick up, but it will sound different from everything you hear. Got it?" she gave him an encouraging smile.

Travis didn't get it, but he knew that Meryl was not going to let it go anytime soon. He exhaled slowly and simply decided to go with it in the meantime. He eased down his mental barriers, and listened to the flow of Meryl's mind as it orbited around her. He knew that she must be amplifying her thoughts somehow, trying to aid him in their search for whatever noise plagued him that night.

After all of the effort he put into blocking unwelcome sounds, he found himself straining to listen to the signals being broadcasted from Meryl. Travis appreciated her openness, thinking that if he were in her position he would have found this much too intimate. If she insisted her signal was different from her thoughts, then what would he hear? How would he know if he heard it?

Beneath the stream of consciousness, the dull thudding of her heartbeat, and the buzz of power that flitted around her skull, he could hear the whisper of something below the distant noise. It was a soft tone, and had it not been for its persistence, Travis would have never noticed its presence. It struck him as familiar, but he could not place a finger on what it sounded like.

"Violins," Travis said, though his voice sounded so faint, as though he were underwater. The pitch of the signal rose and fell as Meryl's face contorted with confusion. Her mouth moved, but no words came out... or perhaps he couldn't hear them.  
He felt the world pull away from him as he sunk deeper into the sounds of the universe. He could hear the noises of the city, but it seemed so distant in comparison to the symphony of signals that resounded around him. Everything seemed to harmonize, and he felt hypnotized by the melody of the world.

As he listened, he could make out a small pulse below the music. He focused on it, amplified it, until the sound reverberated across the sea of signals.

Travis's first thought was that Meryl was wrong. It did sound like a heartbeat.

He barely even realized the numbness that was spreading through his body until a warm pressure on his shoulder snapped him into focus.  
"Stay with me, Travis," Meryl's voice broke through the surface. "You don't want to get lost down there."  
Her hand on his shoulder brought him up, though he could still hear the echo of signals.

"You can hear it too, can't you?" she asked quietly.

"What is it?"

Meryl smiled for a beat, but her signal picked up speed. "It's the sound of the planet," she replied excitedly. "The signal of the earth itself."

"It sounds... so small," Travis whispered.

Meryl nodded, "It sounds small but it has the biggest purpose. It's the heartbeat of the world. It's the pulse that every living signal follows... the conductor of a living symphony."

Travis didn't understand, but as he listened he could hear the cacophony of noises... the piccolo of birds taking flight outside their window... the drumming of drivers racing down the road... the raucous trumpets blaring with the laughter of a nearby bar... all the sounds following a strange ethereal melody, all keeping time to the planet's tempo. He felt himself slip away into the thrumming abyss; the physical world suddenly felt so far away.

"Think of it, Travis!" Meryl continued excitedly. "There could be whole worlds out there that emit a signal, there could even be people like us out there who could hear it! Imagine discovering living worlds this way... maybe there are even living stars with their own signals! Living galaxies! Maybe our universe is alive!"

"Or maybe you're just getting worked up again, Meryl," a bored voice wafted across the room.

Suddenly, Travis could hear the strum of a bass guitar joining in on the violins' harmony. Despite the sudden contrast, there was no dissonance from the unified signals. With effort, Travis tried focusing on the newcomer, but his vision could only make out a familiar yellow and pink silhouette.

Floyd grinned at Travis, "Leo is using a payphone, but he ran out of dimes. You don't mind that I gave him some of yours, do you Trav?"

Travis did in fact mind, but he could barely feel his own body and it seemed his mouth refused to cooperate. Beneath the smooth words of Floyd's voice, he could hear the quiet but resolute pluck of the bass. Travis found this ironic, as it seemed to completely contradict Floyd's bombastic personality.

Floyd seemed to notice that Travis wasn't all there, and a small flash of concern crossed his face.

"Hey, you doing okay? You look a little… bad," Floyd ended weakly.

It was rare for Floyd to be at a loss for words, so Travis could only imagine just how 'bad' he looked.

Meryl stood up and shot Travis a nervous look, "We were trying to find something, but I think he got a little lost along the way."

"Huh?"

"It's a psychic thing."

"Nothing life threatening, I hope?" Floyd asked warily.

"Probably not," replied Meryl.

Travis forced his jaw to comply and managed to get words out that didn't sound like unintelligible garble, "It's fine, really. I just woke up anyway."

Floyd narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Travis involuntarily sifted through the thoughts that emanated from him, picking out feelings of alienation and confusion. But these feelings were quickly discarded as his winning smile returned with a flash.

Floyd shrugged, "Ah well, nothing an average kid with magic powers can't handle. I'm sure it'll pass… whatever it is."

Floyd sauntered over to Travis's bedside and laid a crumpled pile of napkins onto the table. Travis smelled something buttery waft from somewhere in the greasy paper.

"I saved you breakfast in case you were hungry. No need to thank me," Floyd gave Travis a thumbs up.

Travis inspected the lumpy thing in the napkin. Inside, he found a half-eaten bran muffin.

"Gee, thanks," Travis said half-heartedly. He was in no position to complain, after all.

"Although, I will say," Floyd continued. "Once Leo is off that phone, he's going to be wondering why you've been taking so long. Sleeping in is not a solid excuse."

Travis suddenly became painfully aware that he was still in his pajamas and his various belongings were piled on the floor. He groaned and willed himself to stand up. He could still hear the sounds of skittering strings from a nearby cockroach and a low cooing oboe from a pair of mourning doves. Travis began to wonder if he could turn off this strange new ability.

Meryl pulled the chair back into the corner of the room. "It's a wonder Leo hasn't come up yet. What is this call about anyway?"

Floyd shrugged, "I dunno, I'm not the one with magic powers. It's not my business anyway."

Meryl frowned at Floyd, "Why do you keep calling it that? ESP isn't 'magic'."

Floyd snorted, "You can literally will things into existence. Sounds pretty magic to me."

"Not really."

Travis suddenly heard a soft tone approaching the room. It reminded him of the sounds of a well-aged saxophone playing in a smoky saloon. Travis couldn't help thinking that it sounded rather melancholy.

Floyd remained undaunted, "Correct me if I'm wrong, when you say the words 'Heat VOX' you can create fire out of thin air."

"Well, yes, but—" Meryl persisted.

"See? Magic. I rest my case," said Floyd.

Meryl glared at him. "It's not magic," she retorted with finality.

Floyd sat back in the armchair and raised his hands, "Then please enlighten me. What is ESP, and how is it not magic?"

"No one knows what it is, kid. That doesn't make it magic," a low voice cut into their argument.

The three of them whipped around and saw Leo standing in the doorframe. He looked worse off than Travis, and he clearly looked as though he had barely slept as well. He pulled one of his hands out of his pockets and set something onto the table near the door. A few dimes clinked onto the hardwood.

Floyd looked frustrated. "But...doesn't not knowing what it is support it as being magic?"

Floyd was the only one who had the guts to talk back to Leo, but somehow Leo never seemed too bothered by it. He would only tell Floyd to knock it off when he found the rebuttal annoying or stupid.

In this case, he ignored Floyd and gazed directly at Travis.

"Why aren't you packed and ready?" Leo asked him in a level voice.

Travis felt like a deer caught in the headlights. "Uh," he replied.

"I was helping him with his powers," Meryl interjected. "He was hearing thoughts in his sleep. It's been keeping him up all night."

Travis felt a rush of gratitude for Meryl's admittance. Despite everything, he was not a good liar.

Leo gave Travis a long hard look. Travis knew he was weighing options in his mind, but didn't pry beyond that. Leo made it clear that if he caught wind of anyone snooping around in his thoughts, they would be sleeping in a tree that night. Travis had a feeling that he was exaggerating, but he never read Leo's mind again after that.

The soft saxophone that emanated from Leo oscillated as he finally shrugged and picked up his large duffel bag. "We should leave in five. If we stay longer we have to pay a fine. The sooner we're out of the city, the better."

He looked both ways down the hallway before looking back at the kids. "Meet me in the lobby," he said finally before quietly closing the door behind him.

There was a brief silence as the kids looked between each other. Travis could hear the saxophone signal fade away as Leo made his way back downstairs.

Floyd finally broke the silence, "Wow, ominous! You think the police found him or something?"

Meryl looked worried and started twisting her hair nervously. "I hope not. Maybe it was a mistake to come here after all."

Floyd and Travis looked at each other. It was unheard of for Meryl to admit she was wrong.

Floyd laughed nervously, "And, uh, would it be bad if you were wrong?"

Meryl paused, and suddenly laughed, "You know, you're right. Nothing bad has happened yet, so we must be on the right track. Thank you for reminding me, Floyd."

He rolled his eyes, "Don't mention it."

Meryl clasped her hands together. "On that note, we should leave the room to Travis. He still has to get dressed. We'll meet you in the lobby," she smiled, picked up her bag, and headed out the door.

Travis suddenly realized that he was still sitting on the bed, and had barely gotten ready since he awoke. Floyd raised an eyebrow at him, "Earth to Travis, you still with us?"

Travis blinked, "Um, yes. I'm here." He finally stood up and started pulling out clean clothes.

Floyd laughed and patted Travis's shoulder, "You worry me sometimes, Trav. The lights are on but there's no one home."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're dense, Trav."

Travis punched Floyd in the arm, who laughed again in response. He picked up his bag and headed out the door with a cheerful farewell.

Travis slipped on a clean T-shirt and peered out the window. The harmony of signals had faded once he had snapped back into focus, but somehow knowing that they were there made him feel a little bit better. And maybe the signal of the Earth, the one that searched for him in his dream, was looking out for him as well. Knowing the connection of all living things brought him some solace.

He smiled and headed downstairs to join his friends.


End file.
